Conveyor belt construction

ABSTRACT

Two conveyor belt portions which are reinforced with cables, are connected with one another. The cables are arrange din groups of three or four and have end portions of different lengths. According to the invention every end-portion in each group of one conveyor belt portion - except for the shortest portion of the group - is located (when the portions are connected with one another) between two end portions of cables of the other portion, and the shortest end portion of the group is located adjacent the longest end portion of the group with which it is connected.

United States Patent [191 Spaar [4 1 Apr. 3, 1973 541 CONVEYOR BELTCONSTRUCTION 2,839,651 6/1958 Erickson ..19s/193 x Inventor: Gerd pCologne, Germany 2,955,065 10/1960 Paul ..74/237 X [73] Assignee: ClouthGummiwerke Aktien- FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS gesellschafl,(3010299, Germany 1,225,923 9/1966 Germany ..19s/193 I 4, Australia [21]Appl. No.: 140,061 Primary Examiner-Evon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-W.Scott Carson [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Attorney-Michaelsmker May 5, 1970 Germany ..P 20 21 947.0 [57] ABSTRACT Two conveyorbelt portions which are reinforced with [52] cables, are connected withone another. The cables [51] Int Cl 6 2 15/36 are arrange din groups ofthree or four and have end I u no. s s portions of different lengthsAccording to the inven [58] Field M searchm24/38 1 5 6 3 2 5 tion everyend-portion in each group of one conveyor I belt portion except for theshortest portion of the group is located (when the portions areconnected [56] References Cited with one another) between two endportions of cables Of the other portion, the shortest end P0111011 Of Ithe group IS located ad acent the longest end portion 3,481,807 12/1969Kanarnori ..24/38 X of the group with which it is connected. 3,234,6112/1966 Paasche.....; ..24/38 1,612,024 12/1926 Jacobs .1 ..198/193 X 3Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEBAPM I573 3,724 645 Fig 3 Inventora, 57444 s lfinf CONVEYOR BELT CONSTRUCTION' BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thepresent invention relates generally to conveyor belts, and moreparticularly to conveyor belts which are reinforced with elongatedflexible elements. Still more specifically the present invention relatesto a con nection for such conveyor belts or sections thereof.

When conveyor belts or conveyor belt sections which are reinforced withelongated flexible elements, such as steel cables, ropes or the like,are connected at their ends, the cables of each cable belt or beltsections are divided into groups each of which contains the same numberof cables. The number of cables in each group corresponds to the numberof stages of connections between the conveyor belt or belt sections. Ineach group the endportions of the cables have different lengths, that isone cable is longer than another, and a third cable is longer than thepreceding two, and so on. The difference in length between the shortestcable and the next-longest cable or cable endportion is the same as thedifference between the next longest cable and the cable which is stilllonger. Hereafter this difference is referred to as the lengthdifferential.

It is known from the prior art that in connecting two conveyors orconveyor belt sections the length differential in a so-calledthree-cable group or three-stage connection, that is a construction inwhich the cables are arranged in groups of three, in one-third of thelength of the connection. In a so-called four cable group or four stageconnection the length differential is a quarter of this length, and soon.

The most frequently used connection of this type is a three-cableconnection described in the German Preliminary DIN 22 131, page 4. Inthis connection the short and intermediate cable endportions of eachconveyor belt section are located adjacent an endportion of a cable inthe other conveyor belt section over a third of the length of theconnection established between the sections. The long cable endportionsare located between two cable endportions of the other section, beinglocated at one side for a third of the connection and on the other sideover the entire length of the connection adjacent a cable of the othersection. This means that the total length over which the cableendportions of one cable group of one conveyor beltv SUMMARY OF THEINVENTION It is an object of the present invention to further improvethe strength of such a connection.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to providesuch a connection which not only has greater tensile strength but alsocan be constructed as a four-stage connection or a connection havingeven a greater number of stages.

In pursuance of the above objects, and of others which will becomeapparent hereafter, one feature of the invention recites in a conveyorbelt composed of at least two belt sections whose adjacent ends areconnected, with a plurality of elongated flexible laterally adjacentreinforcing members provided in each belt section. The reinforcingmembers are arranged in groups of at least three having at the end ofthe respective conveyor section a longest, a shortest and anintermediate endportion. Each endportion except for the shortestendportion of each group of one belt section is located between twoendportions'of reinforcing members of the other belt section, and theshortest endportion of each group of the one belt section is locatedadjacent to the longest endporton of a group of reinforcing members ofthe other belt section. 1

In this manner the length over which the cable endportions of onesection are located adjacent to the cable endportions of the othersection, is substantially increased, with a concomitant increase in thetensile strength of the connection thus established. This increase inthe tensile strength, on the other hand, makes it possible to reduce thelength of the connection and thereby to save not only material but alsomanufacturing time.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic fragmentaryplan view of a prior-art conveyor belt connection;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating a three-stageconnection according to the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating a four-stageconnection according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1 shows the connection of two conveyor belt sections A and B (onlythe endportions thereof are illustrated) in accordance with the priorart, and more particularly in accordance with German Preliminary DIN 22131. Each of the conveyor belt sections A and B is reinforced with steelcables which are arranged in groups of three each. How the conveyor beltsections are constructed otherwise is of no importance. Each group ofcables has a long cable endportion A1, an intermediate endportion A2which is shorter than the endportion Al, and a short cable endportion A3which is shorter than the intermediate endportion A2. These are thecable endportions of the cables associated with the conveyor beltsection A, and correspondingly the cables in the section B are similarlyarranged and designated at their'cable endportions with referencedesignations B1, B2 and B3.

The length differential a between the long cable endportion Al and theintermediate cable endportion A2 on the one hand, as well as between theintermediate endportion A2 and the short endportion A3 on the otherhand, is approximately identical. Thesame is true and B2 on the onehand, and the endportions B2 and B3 on the other hand. In addition, thelength differential a and b are also approximately identical with oneanother.

In FIG. 1 the region in which cable endportions of the one conveyor beltsection are located adjacent to cable endportions of the other conveyorbelt section are identified in FIG. 1 by the identical horizontalshading. It is pointed out that this has been done only for the groupB1, B2 and B3 because this is believed sufficient for an understanding.The length of this region corresponds to approximately double (orsix-thirds) of the length of the connection between the sections A andB. This refers, of course, to the total length at which one arrives byadding together all the shaded areas in FIG. 1.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, that is the first embodiment ofthe present invention, the same reference numerals have been utilized asin FIG. 1 to facilitate comparison. In fact, all other factors describedwith respect to FIG. 1 are applicable also to FIG. 2 except that, inaccordance with the present invention, all cable endportions of eachgroup of cables in one belt section A in FIG. 2 (except for the shortestcable endportion) are located between two cable endportions of a groupof the other conveyor belt section B, and the shortest cable endportionof the group is located next to the longest cable endportion of thecorresponding group of the other belt section.

Again, the areas in which cable endportions of one conveyor belt sectionare located adjacent to cable endportions of another conveyor beltsection, is indicated in FIG. 2 for comparison by horizontal shading. Itwill be noted that the combined length of the horizontally shaded areasin this Figure is greater than in the prior-art embodiment shown in FIG.1, and corresponds to approximately eight-thirds of the length of theconnection as opposed to only six-thirds in FIG. 1.

The embodiment in FIG. 3 corresponds to that in FIG. 2, except that herethe cables are arranged in groups of four and each of the conveyor beltsections C and D is provided with cables whose groups of four haverespective cable endportions C1, C2, C3 and C4 in the section C, whereasthose in the section D have the cable endportions D1, D2, D3 and D4. Itis clear that the arrangement of the cable endportions in FIG. 3 is thesame as in FIG. 2 in that all cable endportions of one group (except forthe shortest one) are each located between two cable endportions of agroup of the respectively other conveyor belt section, and that theshortest cable endportion of the first group is located adjacent thelongest cable endportion of the associated group of the other beltsection. In this embodiment, as in FIG. 2, a substantial increase of theareas corresponding to those shown with horizontal shading in FIGS. 1and 2 is achieved, with an increase in the tensile strength of theconnection between the conveyor belt sections.

It will be appreciated that the present invention is applicableirrespective of whether two conveyor belt sections are to be connected,or whether the opposite ends of one and the same section are to beconnected, and that it is immaterial whether the cables are of steel oranother metal, or whether in fact they are ropes rather than cables andconsist partially or completely of nonmetallic material.

It Will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofconstructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in aconveyor belt construction, it is not intended to be limited to thedetails shown, since various modifications and structural changes may bemade without departing in any way from the spirit of the presentinvention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a conveyor belt having at least two connected endsections, aplurality of elongated flexible laterally adjacent reinforcing membersin each endsection, and reinforcing members being arranged in groups ofat least three having in each of the respective endsections a longest, ashortest and an intermediate endportion, each endportion except for theshortest endportions of each group of one endsection being locatedbetween two endportions of reinforcing members of the other endsection,and the shortest endportion of each group of said one endsection beinglocated adjacent to the longest endportion of a group of reinforcingmembers of said other endsection.

2. In a conveyor belt as defined in claim 1, wherein said reinforcingmembers are metal cables.

3. In a conveyor belt as defined in claim I, wherein said reinforcingmembers are ropes.

1. In a conveyor belt having at least two connected endsections, aplurality of elongated flexible laterally adjacent reinforcing membersin each endsection, and reinforcing members being arranged in groups ofat least three having in each of the respective endsections a longest, ashortest and an intermediate endportion, each endportion except for theshortest endportions of each group of one endsection being locatedbetween two endportions of reinforcing members of the other endsection,and the shortest endportion of each group of said one endsection beinglocated adjacent to the longest endportion of a group of reinforcingmembers of said other endsection.
 2. In a conveyor belt as defined inclaim 1, wherein said reinforcing members are metal cables.
 3. In aconveyor belt as defined in claim 1, wherein said reinforcing membersare ropes.